When I subscribed to DW Mags a couple years ago it seemed like they were more utility minded mag, which is what I wanted, a mag that will talk about the ATV that I like and ride. However now all they talk about is sport quads and racing. Sport quads only make up about 20% of the ATV market and yet most of there articles are about them. Then when they do write about the utility quads and do shootouts, it seems like they only talk about how fast, or how it power slides or wheelies. So when they do a test on a 4x4, they compare it like it's a sport atv.
Another think, do these guys that write the articles even look at past articles. For instance, April 01 Mag did a shootout between the 250ex, Lakota Sport and the Trailblazer. They picked the 250ex as the winner. Now just 11 months later they are doing another, this time between the 250ex and the Sport in the March 02 Mag. Nothing has changed between the two atv's since then, so why another shootout. However one thing did change, they picked the sport this time.
The point is, why are they catering to the sport side when most people use them for utility and recreation. Is there a ATV mag out there that talks mostly about utility atv's. Because when my sub expires I will not renew it unless they change. I can't see spending money on a mag that doesn't talk about the atv that I ride. That would be like getting Hot Rod Mag and driving a Jeep and looking for a lift kit.

 

Take a look at ATV Magazine (www.atvnews.com) and All Terrain Vehicle Magazine (www.atv-mag.com). Neither of these are published monthly however I believe they may be more of what you are looking for.

 

I agree Dirt wheels and ATV Action are geared towards making AD buyers happy then being an info source. Personally I like both ATV Magazine and All Terrain Vehicle Magazine, although they are hardier to find around here. It's too bad that they aren't published every month.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Three reasons why they're biased:

DirtWheels is based in SoCal where sport quads outnumber utilities by a wide margin.

The editors and test riders at DirtWheels propbably have the typical SoCal atiitude towards 4x4's; mainly that they are boring.

There are more advertisers interested in focusing towards the sport market.

 

I think the reason they do shootouts like that where they do the same quads over again is for the people that don't have the past issues. This way they know how the quad rates at least. One thing I want to see is a test on a Honda Foreman 400. They haven't done one since '96!

 

The point is, they did two shootouts in 11 months with the same atv's, in which the only thing that changed between them is the model year. Yet 11 months ago the Honda 250ex won, then in the March of 02 the sport wins. So how can one mag do two shootouts with the same atv's and come out with different winners. Sounds like who ever pays the most during the shootout wins.

 

GE4x4,

Why these two Hi-Torque "rags" do the things they do is the greatest mysteries of our time. Perhaps, it's because they are "like totally from the left coast, dude". If like their idea of like, riding is like sand dunes, then like everyone must be like, interested in duning.

Please, give me a break! Not every one here has access to sand dunes! Don't get me wrong, I'm sure sand dunes are a blast to ride in, but not everyone in the country is interested in them. As you can probably tell, I could care less about what they do on the "Left Coast".

I sometimes believe that the guys that do the tests and the guys that write them aren't even on the same page. I do know that the people who test the quads aren't the same as the ones who write about them. There has so many been glaring errors and out right lies published so many times that people are starting to believe them as the "gospel according to Hi-Torque". Frankly, I choose to think for myself.